Barack Obama Quotes

In our democracy and our civic discourse, it seems as if folks who take religion the most seriously are sometimes also those who are suspicious of those not like them.

I don't think we should ever accept the idea that someone can come along and take away our safety and our freedom.

Obviously, if Congress wants to talk about anything, we're happy to provide information. We're committed to moving forward under the current act.

I make no apologies for us wanting to do this [bombing Iraq and Syria] appropriately and in a way that is consistent with American values.

I just want to repeat that there's nothing that we've proposed that would make it harder for you to purchase a firearm.

As we keep up the pressure, our air campaign will continue to hit ISIL harder than ever.

For decades, our differences with Iran meant that our governments almost never spoke to each other. Ultimately, that did not advance America's interests.

Over more than a decade, Iran had moved ahead with its nuclear program. And before the deal, it had installed nearly 20,000 centrifuges that could enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb.

Iran was nearing completion of a new reactor capable of producing plutonium for a bomb.

The bottom line is this - whereas Iran was steadily expanding its nuclear program, we have now cut off every single path that Iran could have used to build a bomb.

We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure for our children and our grandchildren, for generations to come.

I think at a certain age I became conscious of the power of words. And it was fairly late. I was kind of a goofball - but I was always subconsciously thinking about issues.

When I was in Washington, I would usually get home from the Capitol at about 7:30 or 8, and I would try to write as much as possible. It was almost all in the wee hours.

Just listen to what Mr. [Donald] Trump has to say and make your own judgment with respect to how confident you feel about his ability to manage things like our nuclear triad.

Hillary Clinton has been in politics for the same reason I am - because we can improve other people's lives by doing this work.

Hillary Clinton possesses an extraordinary intelligence and a remarkable work ethic. I am proud that she will be our next secretary of state.

State visits are often an opportunity for the United States to reaffirm our ties and friendship with our closest partners around the world.

This visit [to Singapore] is an occasion to mark the 50th anniversary our bilateral relationship with Singapore, which is one of our strongest and most reliable partners in South-east Asia.

Write anything you want because we'll never be heard from again.

I see Donald Trump as a phenomenon of an expression of certain fears, certain resentments, that have been a running thread in American history.

I know the American people. I've met a lot of them. I've met a lot more of them than any columnist has, or any talking head on TV has. And they're pretty sophisticated.

There are problems that just end up being really hard and by definition the only problems that come to my desk are the ones that nobody else can solve.

There are things I cannot say.

I want to make sure that we, as a nation, stay unified because that's how we're going to achieve our missions.

You always hear about waste and abuse in Washington. And usually it doesn't mean much, because nobody ever finds where that waste and abuse is.

The easiest way to get 15 minutes of fame is to be rude to somebody.

The Russians don't make determinations about what our defense posture is.

We've got an extraordinarily complex tax system that's full of loopholes that are exploited by special interests. I'd like to see those loopholes closed.

I always say that campaigning and governing are two different things.

My hope and expectation is that regardless of what Donald Trump said during the campaign, he's going to have to look carefully at the realities when he moves forward.

It is legitimate for the Turks to try to defend themselves.

You don't like dealing with somebody who denies horrible things happening to your people or threatens future horrible things to your people.

I think we all know that world owes an enormous debt to Greece and the Greek people.

To this day, the United States is profoundly grateful for our friendship and alliance with Greece.

In order to make reforms sustainable, the Greek economy needs the space to return to growth and start creating jobs again.

You can't entirely compare between the United States and Greece for a range of reasons, not just because of the size of the economy.

The quicker you resolve the problems with banks and there's transparency in that process, the faster they recapitalize and are able to make investments.

There is enormous continuity beneath the day-to-day news that makes America that indispensable nation when it comes to maintaining order and promoting prosperity around the world.

I think it's a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to go through some reflection.

The Democrats should not waiver on our core beliefs and principles.

Things change pretty rapidly. But they don't change inevitably. They change because you work for it.

You know, there are certain things that make for good sound bites but don't always translate into good policy.

Donald Trump is somebody who I think likes to mix it up and to have a vigorous debate.

If, in [Federal Housing Administration] application, black folks were excluded from it, then you have to override that by going after those discriminatory practices.

I don't have a philosophical objection, necessarily, to a travel ban if that is the thing that is going to keep the American people safe.

What I want all of you to know is that we are going to bring those who killed our fellow Americans to justice.

Sometimes they're nothing, sometimes they're something, sometimes there's a connection that years later may show up. All of this information is useful.

We have come from a time of the large-scale, planned, Al Qaeda-style attacks, to the encouragement of lone wolves: Fort Hood, Chattanooga. To the encouragement of people to act on their own.

The challenge there is that ISIL doesn't have an air force, so the damage done there is not against ISIL, it's against the Syrian regime.

Arne Duncan is done more to bring our educational system, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the 21st century than anyone else.